Champions League 2018/19 Tactical Preview: Liverpool vs Barcelona

At Anfield, Liverpool will face a Herculean task in Barcelona as their opponent after a 3-0 defeat in the first leg game. Jürgen Klopp’s side will need to evolve attacking power up front and defensive solidity in the back. Obviously, this will be a tough nut to crack against the Spanish champions Barcelona.

However, why Liverpool might not be without a chance? How Klopp’s side might overcome Barcelona will be outlined in the following tactical preview. Moreover, we will point out how Barcelona’s positional play needs to be improved in order to ensure Valverde’s side to outplay the opposition press.

Tactical approaches in the first leg game

In Barcelona, the home-side was capable of beating Liverpool with 3-0. Nevertheless, as football is a game with a relatively low number of goals, the result should never be the only foundation when evaluating a match.

Liverpool deployed a 4-3-3 system facing Barcelona. The biggest surprise of Liverpool’s lineup was that Klopp lined up usual midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum as the central player of their attacking department.